Description
The single estate cacao beans used to make this chocolate are grown in Costa Esmeraldas (Emerald Coast) in northern Ecuador. This family owned and operated farm, situated on emerald green hills overlooking the ocean, grows unique strains of native Ecuadorian ‘Nacional’ cacao, giving this chocolate notes of cassis, oak, and red wine.
About the origin
Nacional is Ecuador’s native cacao, long prized for its complex, fruity and floral flavour. Our beans come from a single family-owned estate on Ecuador’s Costa Esmeraldas, and we roast and stone grind them into chocolate at our Granville Island workshop with just two other ingredients: organic unrefined cane sugar and organic cacao butter. That’s it — so everything you taste comes from the bean and how we treat it.
These Costa Esmeraldas beans are also the base for our barrel-aged Single Malt, our spruce tip Spring Awakening and our Chai Spice Drinking Chocolate.
Award-winning single origin chocolate
- 2026 Canadian competition — Silver (88.0)
- 2024 Americas — Silver (88.4)
- 2023 Americas — Silver (88.4)
- 2021/22 Americas — Bronze (85.8)
See every result on our awards page.
Frequently asked questions
What does single origin mean?
All the cacao in the bar comes from one place — in this case, one family farm — so the chocolate tastes of that farm’s beans rather than a blend. It’s the heart of what bean-to-bar is about.
Is it vegan and gluten-free?
Yes. Three ingredients, no dairy, and made with gluten-free ingredients.
How is it different from the 88%?
Same estate, different percentage. The 70% is rounder and fruitier, with cassis and red wine; our 88% Costa Esmeraldas is more intense, with concord grape, rum and roasted almond.
Want to compare origins?
Try it next to our 70% Kisinga from Uganda or 75% Tupi from the Philippines — or taste a range of origins on our chocolate tour and tasting.
